All aboard the mentorship

16-22/8/2021 • Prilep, North Macedonia

Join us on board!

All Aboard The MentorShip An Erasmus+ Training Course

Part of our objectives: Develop a strong connection between mentors & volunteers Find new ways for volunteers to be motivated and inspired Teach mentors different tools and methods for support Offer a space for sharing experiences and good practices amongst mentors Expand the network between the organizations who are working with ESC Support new and returning ESC volunteers

Main goal:

Desired impacts: Improve soft and language skills Knowledge about the role of a mentor Gain creative approaches on mentoring, organization, logistics and management Gain common understanding for the needs of a mentor Develop new learning methods and networking skills Raise sense of tolerance, flexibility, responsibility, awareness of other cultures and practices

To train youth workers in the field of mentorship by sharing good practices and ideas, to raise the quality of mentoring within the ESC support structure, while offering excellent quality to ESC volunteers.

THE JOURNEY What Is a Mentor? Who Can Be a Mentor?

The Roles of a Mentor Hero's Journey / Characteristics and Qualities of Mentors Picture Perfect Mimic the Problem

Art of Asking

THE JOURNEY Problems and Needs Require Analysis

Clash of Communities

Derdians and Engineers

Volunteer-Mentor Relationship Mentor's Toolbox

Core Qualities

Welcome on board!

Are you ready to become a mentor?

WHAT IS A MENTOR?

Mentor is a person that can help a volunteer to reflect on his/her experiences and through the process of reflection help to find a personal way of change, if it's wanted by the volunteer.

Each mentor needs to oversee processes such as acculturation, cultural shock, learning process during the volunteering experience, and needs to be capable of reacting in those moments when the need is felt or observed. Mentor can be open to meeting the volunteer not only for reflection, but also bonding as friends, to be able to create a trust-based relation between them.

WHO CAN BE A MENTOR? The mentor should not give answers to the volunteer, but “guide” them to find solution by their own.

Any person, both male and female, older than 18, who has previously worked with youth, can become a mentor. The mentor should be someone who's willing to share their knowledge and experience gained in the "Erasmus world".

That person should provide support, guidance and encouragement to the mentee not only during the volunteer's stay, but also before their arrival and after their departure. Change can be difficult, even overwhelming for some.

Hence, it's the mentor's job to make sure that the transition from one country to another is as smooth as possible.

THE ROLES OF A MENTOR

Mentor is a friend in a foreign country

Mentor is at the same time both a friend and a professional

Mentor accompanies the volunteer, but at the same time they learn from them, too

Mentor supports the volunteer to carry out a self-reflection on the learning outcomes of the ESC activity

Mentor facilitates the interconnection among people, helping to strengthen the relationships with as much people as possible (young and local community)

Mentor is a problem shooter and crisis manager

Session 1

DESCRIPTION OF THE METHOD: 18/8/2021

1.1

HERO'S JOURNEY

The method is based on the concept introduced by Campbell in 1949. The core of this method is based on the process of comparing the ESC to an adventure and it works because it makes the story familiar to some patterns we know since our childhood (like a fairy tale).

In other words, it creates a map which allows us to see all the actors, steps and phases in the journey of the volunteer, and based on that, we can easily plan which resources we should provide to better support each volunteer.

18/8/2021

Session 1

DESCRIPTION OF THE METHOD:

Each story starts at a certain moment because something happened; then, everything becomes an adventure. A lot of new things happen, among which difficulties and challenges. But, there is an external guide to support the hero (the mentor). At a certain moment, there is a big challenge for the hero, so huge that they feel unsafe, starting to doubt their own ability of solving it.

Most of the time the problem is solved and the hero becomes empowered by the awareness of his own strengths. The success brings a final reward and the story ends with the return to daily life.

An inner sensation connected to the wish to change

CALL TO ADVENTURE

something in life ( a possibility to become an ESC volunteer

Once the hero has committed to the quest , his guide and

SUPERNATURAL AID

magical helper ( mentor ) appears or becomes known .

The ESC volunteer steps in a new world :

CROSSING THRESHOLD

/

TRIAL FAILURE

+ HELPER

/

GROWTH NEW SKILLS

DEATH

+ REBIRTH

crossing borders and

changing language through a real travel .

The moment when the volunteer tells you : “ I don ' t want to continue , I wanna go home . This is where the mentor steps in .

The volunteer , supported and guided by their mentor finds ways and solutions to help overcome his fears and issues .

The death represents the end of his / her previous personality and the re - birth of a new awareness and empowerment .

The part where the volunteer discovers his / her true potential .

REVELATION

New attitudes , beliefs and behaviour .

The hero becomes “ at - one ” with his new self . Irresponsibility and

ATONEMENT

fear must die to make way for the birth of love and wisdom

The volunteer goes back home and he has to adapt again .

MISSION ACOMPLISHED

It

could be not so easy and this is when he / she needs support .

Session 1

HOW TO - STEP BY STEP: 18/8/2021

1.2 CHARACTERISTICS AND QUALITIES OF MENTORS

Divide the participants in 5 groups, give them each a flipchart and post-its, and ask them to find a common understanding of what the qualities of a good mentor are.

Give enough time to discuss and write their findings. At the end, invite them to present.

Afterwards, invite them to join another group to make a larger group out of the 2.

Ask them to combine the characteristics and qualities with the other group. Once finished, put the results of the both groups close to each other and they should agree only on the most important ones.

18/8/2021

Session 1

THE OBJECTIVE:

This exercise has the objective of setting a common understanding of mentor qualities, through brainstorming, first in small groups and then in bigger groups, until a "common group" is formed.

This is a good exercise to start preparing the future mentors and define their roles, as well as the differences between a mentor and a coordinator.

18/8/2021

PICTURE PERFECT

Session 2

DESCRIPTION OF THE METHOD:

Each participant chooses someone they hadn’t had the chance to interact with. At the beginning of the exercise, the pairs stand side-by-side touching their arms and don't have direct eye contact or any verbal communication.

The task is to be in sync while taking steps forwards and backward. After each pair successfully completes their task, little by little they all connect in a big line, in order to do the same exercise together as a big group.

18/8/2021

Session 2

PICTURE PERFECT

HOW TO – STEP BY STEP:

1 - Choose a partner (preferably a person you haven’t talked to/interacted with) 2 - Stand side by side while touching your arms, keep your eyes closed and start moving back and forth 3 - Try to remain in sync, and once you’ve gotten comfortable enough doing the exercise with your partner, try to do it with more people 4 - By the end of the session, all of the participants should be standing in a line doing the exercise together

18/8/2021

MIMIC THE PROBLEM

Session 3

DESCRIPTION OF THE METHOD:

This exercise aims at dividing the group of participants into pairs, with each member of the pair having a specific task. One of the participants will have to mimic (role-play) real volunteer problems and the other will have to repeat the same movements and try to guess which problem is at hand.

This activity is a way to raise awareness of the importance of non-verbal communication and the signs that volunteers can report through certain attitudes.

18/8/2021

MIMIC THE PROBLEM

Session 3

HOW TO – STEP BY STEP:

1 - Make a selection of problems that volunteers face and write them down on little pieces of paper and fold them 2 - Make duos from the group of participants and let one member of each duo choose a folded piece of paper 3 - The participants who have a piece of paper get 5 minutes to plan out their mimicking performance 4 - Each duo stands in the circle of participants, one member of the duo acts (mimics) and the other tries to guess the problem 5 - After each performance, talk and reflect with the group

Session 1

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXERCISE: 19/8/2021

ART OF ASKING

The volunteers often face problems regardless of the origin, whether is house rules, volunteer-mentor disagreement or even something related to the activities. So it's very important for you as a mentor to know how to properly approach these problems and try to come up with a solution accordingly.

This is why it is extremely important for the volunteer to understand and develop sympathy, empathy and compassion. Terms very similar yet very distinctive when we take a closer look at them.

19/8/2021

Session 1 SYMPATHY - Being able to understand what a person is feeling. For example, if someone’s father has passed away, you may not be able to physically feel that person’s pain. However, you can understand that your friend is sad.

EMPATHY - When you are viscerally feeling what another person feels, you are experiencing empathy. But what about when you don’t automatically feel the sensation of another? That’s where your imagination kicks in. You have most likely heard the phrase, “Put yourself in someone else’s shoes.” That’s the route to empathy.

19/8/2021

Session 1 COMPASSION - Compassion kicks empathy and sympathy up a notch. When you are compassionate, you recognize that the person is in pain (sympathy), you feel the pain of another (empathy) and then you do what you can to to alleviate the person’s suffering.

That's why it is very important for mentors to learn how to practice mindfulness, or non-judgmental awareness of the present moment. Why mindfulness? Because you aren’t able to notice that someone is suffering unless you are fully present.

19/8/2021

PROBLEMS AND NEEDS REQUIRE ANALYSIS

Session 2

DESCRIPTION OF THE METHOD:

Each group chooses a problem from the list and analyzes it from the following aspects: reasons, outcomes, visual effects, and finding the solution to it.

On a drawn tree: 1. The reasons for the problem are the roots of the tree 2. The problem itself is the tree trunk 3. The outcomes are the branches 4. The visual effects are the leaves 5. The solution to the problem is the bird

PROBLEMS AND NEEDS REQUIRE ANALYSIS Session 2

HOW TO – STEP BY STEP:

1 - Depending on the number of participants, they should get divided into groups of 4 2 - From a list of problems, each group picks one and works on it 3 - On flipcharts, each group draws a tree with roots, branches, and a bird 4 - The groups can make up a story based on the problem they chose

19/8/2021

Session 3

DESCRIPTION OF THE METHOD:

CLASH OF COMMUNITIES

This activity is a simulation involving two communities with opposing views, but forced to live together on the same island.

HOW TO – STEP BY STEP:

1 - Develop a story about two communities that live separated with two totally different political systems, but for some reason they need to start living together eventually leading to conflicts between the two.

2 - Divide the participants in two groups (the groups are in different rooms) and present the story for their community

Session 3

19/8/2021

CLASH OF COMMUNITIES

3 - In the main room, the communities are split and mixed in smaller groups, and each of them are presented a different problem related to hate speech/violence.

4 - The groups are given time to debate and to find a solution for the problem, while keeping their roles and behavior given at the beginning.

5 - All groups get back together and present their problem, the main solution and the methods used to get to that solution.

20/8/2021

Session 1

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXERCISE:

DERDIANS & ENGINEERS

First divide the participants in two groups.

One group represents the village of the Derdians with specific uses and customs and with a very particular language made of gestures and rituals difficult to understand for the visitors.

The other group is Japanese engineers who had to visit the Dardian's village to help them build a bridge between one part and the other of the city (which in this case the bridge could be between two chairs with 80cm distance).

20/8/2021

Session 1 The engineers, however, after having worked out their own strategy, clash with the language and rituals of the Derdians. This will create many difficulties; the engineers will be lost, confused and not knowing how to approach the Derdians to make themselves understood and not to create misunderstandings. On the other hand, there is a desire from the Dardians to get help, as long as the engineers respected the local culture.

At the end of the activity the two groups should manage to understand each other and therefore to build the bridge.

20/8/2021

Session 1

OBJECTIVES OF THE EXERCISE:

This game is a simulation of a meeting of two cultures. The final goal is breaking stereotypes of different cultures whilst reflecting on differences in cultural behavior. We as humans often have a tendency to think that others think the way we do. And we often interpret things that are different as being right or wrong, without considerations of the differences in cultural behavior.

Also, this game teaches us to be tolerant towards countries and people with different beliefs and from different background.

Session 2

DESCRIPTION OF THE METHOD: 20/8/2021

VOLUNTEERMENTOR RELATIONSHIP

On a flipchart, the facilitator draws four boxes that are connected to each other in a circle. Each of the boxes contains one of the words that make up the acronym B.E.S.T (Building, Enhancing, Sustaining the relationship, and Transitioning).

The participants allude to terms that are related to the previously mentioned points i.e. what makes up the building, enhancing and sustaining the volunteer-mentor relationship, and how does one transition back to their native country after a project.

VOLUNTEERMENTOR RELATIONSHIP Session 2

HOW TO – STEP BY STEP:

1 - The facilitator draws four boxes on a flipchart and connects them to each other 2 - Each participant implies terms related to the main points of the “B.E.S.T” method 3 - The facilitator analyzes and gives suggestions on the words

20/8/2021

MENTOR'S TOOLBOX

Session 3

HOW TO – STEP BY STEP:

1 - Gather the participants and divide them into five (equal) groups 2 - Each group will have a different task regarding the following steps: Search & Make a research Discuss usage Test and analyze Present The groups' tasks are provided on the next page of this brochure.

Session 3

20/8/2021

MENTOR'S TOOLBOX

Group 1: "Core Quadrant Theory" by Daniel Ofman, and "SWOT Analysis" Group 2: "Contract with the volunteer", and "Picture ESC" Group 3: "Picture Your Story" (pictureyourstory.eu) Group 4: "Volunteers first interview", and "Together" by EU Group 5: "Badge Wallet"

Session 4

20/8/2021

CORE QUALITIES

Everyone can sometimes be annoyed at someone else’s behavior. We think other people are difficult and we feel that they should make an effort to change their behavior. But do ‘difficult’ people really exist? According to people behavior expert Daniel Ofman the answer to this question is no!

Every human being has certain core qualities and these qualities can be very different from person to person. Big differences in these core qualities can cause a certain friction between people.

20/8/2021

Session 4 DESCRIPTION OF THE METHOD:

To understand the mutual relationships, we use a core quality quadrant from which it becomes clear why this friction arises. Someone’s core quality could be directly opposite the behavior one is allergic to.

CORE QUALITY - someone's positive quality PITFALL - when the quality has a negative effect and becomes an obstacle for the person CHALLENGE - is a positive opposite of the pitfall which is a good supplement to the core quality ALLERGY - is a direct opposite of the core quality.

A person’s pitfall is often the source of conflict.

This is the case when one person’s pitfall turns out to be someone else’s allergy.

Partner: ASSOCIACAO MAIS CIDADANIA (Portugal) Partner: Asociatia Zöld Nap (Romania) Partner: Pi Youth Association (Turkey) Partner: KOBIETY.LODZ.PL (Poland) 2020-1-MK01-KA105-077658 Learning Mobility of Individuals Youth Mobility

Project developer/Organizer: Youth Association Info Front - Prilep (North Macedonia)

Partner: XENA CENTRO SCAMBI E DINAMICHE INTERCULTURALI (Italy)

Partner: SOCIAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CIVIL NONPROFIT SOCIETY (Greece)

DISCLAIMER on this publication

This brochure was developed and designed by the participants during the multimedia and dissemination sessions of the project.

The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.